Esther 2:5-15

Now there was a Jew who lived in the palace complex in Susa. His name was Mordecai the son of Jair, the son of Shimei, the son of Kish—a Benjaminite. His ancestors had been taken from Jerusalem with the exiles and carried off with King Jehoiachin of Judah by King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon into exile. Mordecai had reared his cousin Hadassah, otherwise known as Esther, since she had no father or mother. The girl had a good figure and a beautiful face. After her parents died, Mordecai had adopted her.

8 When the king’s order had been publicly posted, many young girls were brought to the palace complex of Susa and given over to Hegai who was overseer of the women. Esther was among them.

9-10 Hegai liked Esther and took a special interest in her. Right off he started her beauty treatments, ordered special food, assigned her seven personal maids from the palace, and put her and her maids in the best rooms in the harem. Esther didn’t say anything about her family and racial background because Mordecai had told her not to. Every day Mordecai strolled beside the court of the harem to find out how Esther was and get news of what she was doing.

12-14 Each girl’s turn came to go into King Xerxes after she had completed the twelve months of prescribed beauty treatments—six months’ treatment with oil of myrrh followed by six months with perfumes and various cosmetics. When it was time for the girl to go to the king, she was given whatever she wanted to take with her when she left the harem for the king’s quarters. She would go there in the evening; in the morning she would return to a second harem overseen by Shaashgaz, the king’s eunuch in charge of the concubines. She never again went back to the king unless the king took a special liking to her and asked for her by name.

15 When it was Esther’s turn to go to the king (Esther the daughter of Abihail the uncle of Mordecai, who had adopted her as his daughter), she asked for nothing other than what Hegai, the king’s eunuch in charge of the harem, had recommended. Esther, just as she was, won the admiration of everyone who saw her.

Explanation:

Persian kings collected vast amounts of jewelry and women. These young virgins were captured from their homes and required to live in a building close to the palace, called a harem. Their sole purpose was to serve the king's sexual pleasures. They rarely saw the king, and their lives were restricted and boring. If rejected, Esther would become one of the many girls seen once by the King and forgotten, But Esther's beauty and persona pleased Hegai, the man in charge of getting the girls ready for the king.

This was an important step in God getting Esther right where He needed her. Hegai gave her wise counsel and prepared her well for the one time she would have with the King. Even though a queen had more rights than a girl in the harem, she still was very limited and had no real power other than influencing her husband. Hegai would coach her well on what qualities the King would favor.

Application:

1. God is positioning Esther for a plan that will eventually free the Jews. Discretion is the key, though. Timing is everything in this story. Do you have a situation in your life that you feel God is impressing on you to hold your peace? Sometimes, we undervalue timing. Pray for divine wisdom to wait on God’s timing.

2. In my lifetime, I have been involved in lots of conversations where people are under the assumption that if they are really full of God, they will be proclaiming that they are His, everywhere and anywhere. What was the wisdom behind Esther keeping it a secret that she was a Jew?

3. “Esther, just as she was, won the admiration of everyone who saw her.” That last line in verse 15 is powerful. Because of who she WAS, people loved her. It wasn’t her oratory skills or her conniving abilities...it was her essence. It was WHO had her heart that made her shine in such a way that people were softened by her presence. Would someone know who had your heart without you saying so? It is a sobering question all of us should reflect on frequently.

4. T.D. Jakes has said, we can talk like a Christian far faster than we can act like one. Esther can motivate all of us to stay proactive with pure and devoted hearts, so that in any moment or situation, we will react in the way God needs us to for Him to accomplish His purposes.

5. Does it excite you that God has plans for which He needs to use you? Do you respond well to spiritual coaching? If Esther had not listened to Hegai or obeyed Mordecai, things would not have gone smoothly. Being teachable will serve all of us well our entire lives.

Prayer Prompt:

God, I am keenly aware that, because You are in Heaven, You are above it all and over it all. You see what I don’t see. You know what I don’t know. Help me by softening my heart and opening my mind to your purposes. Help me cancel what I want to do to wait on what You want to do. I ask for help with patience and timing. May I feel Your peace as you guide me and use me for what you desire to accomplish. May You find me fully ready at the moment in Your plan. Amen.

Devo Plus:

We can make our plans, but the Lord determines our steps. Proverbs 16:9

The Tree Church Daily Devotions will be going through another book of the Bible. Today’s devotion will be a brief overview of the book we are reading this week, then each following day will give you one of the main passages or themes found within that book. These books will be shorter and can be read in their entirety in a single sitting or two. I would encourage you to read the entire book on Sunday. It will help with your understanding of each individual passage you will look at over the following six days, but it will also give you a good taste of the different writings in the Bible. If you have any questions as you begin to read and walk through these books, please reach out to me at [email protected]. - Pastor Chris

The book of Esther is one of the most profound books in the Old Testament, yet it never mentions God once. However, it contains the principles of God’s protection, provision, and calling of His people to play their role in history. At its heart, Esther is a narrative that exemplifies the courage of Esther and Mordecai, as well as exposing the wickedness of our hearts through Haman. As you process through this narrative, you will experience the potential for ethnic cleansing, racism, and the courage of a young girl to put it to an end.

There are a few things to keep in the back of your mind. Esther is a narrative set in Susa, the capital of the Persian empire around 480-465 BCE. This would follow the stories of Daniel and the lions’ den; Shadrach, Meshack, and Abednego; and the exile of the Jewish people to Babylon. Persia has overrun Babylon, and King Ahasuerus is now king over Persia.

Esther is a short 10 chapters that reads like a story. It will keep your interest piqued as you walk through the story of Esther and the Jewish people’s rescue from ethnic cleansing.

Application:

1. Read through the entire book of Esther today.

Prayer Starter:

Father, help us to see You in this story. I pray that You would use it to expose the wickedness of our own hearts, and also to see how we can be of good courage in the face of difficulty. It’s amazing how Your Word speaks to our situations today. As we face social injustice, racism, and oppression, give us the courage not to shrink away, and to work at loving justice and having courage, the way You do.

Devo Plus:

Make a list of the items that stick out to you as you read today.

Mark 10:35-45

And James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came up to him and said to him, “Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you.” And he said to them, “What do you want me to do for you?” And they said to him, “Grant us to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your glory.” Jesus said to them, “You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, or to be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized?” And they said to him, “We are able.” And Jesus said to them, “The cup that I drink you will drink, and with the baptism with which I am baptized, you will be baptized, but to sit at my right hand or at my left is not mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared.” And when the ten heard it, they began to be indignant at James and John. And Jesus called them to him and said to them, “You know that those who are considered rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. But it shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

Explanation:

We are called to serve, and this runs counter to everything the world believes about power and position. Our selfish nature does not die easily, as this passage proves. How is it that these men could have such dedication to Christ without a true understanding of His mission? Two of Jesus’s closest friends jockeyed for prominent positions in the coming kingdom, and when the other disciples got wind of it, they wanted a piece of the action, too!

“We are able.” And why wouldn’t they be? Up to this point, the only cup they saw Jesus drink from was that of performing miracles, teaching the Gospel, and rebuking the Pharisees. Jesus says they will drink from a cup they knew nothing about. However, before they reach that station in life, they must get themselves off the throne. When we commit to living a life opposite of what the world embraces, then we are ready to become the servants Christ intends us to be.

In the book of Acts, we see the same disciples living out what Jesus taught them in this story. No one gets there overnight, but we must be deliberate in our effort to obey this command.

Application:

1. How often do you seek out opportunities to serve others?

2. How can you know for sure your motive for serving is not for personal gain?

3. Throughout His ministry on earth, Jesus made it clear there is a price to pay for following Him. Are you willing to drink from whatever cup our Savior has in store for you?

Prayer Starter:

Heavenly Father, search me and see if my heart is pure toward serving You by serving others. Bring to my attention any wrong motives I have for helping and giving, so that I may honor You in everything I do.

Devo Plus:

Read John 13:1-17 for a powerful example of Christ serving His disciples.

Mark 5:1-20 (ESV)

They came to the other side of the sea, to the country of the Gerasenes. And when Jesus had stepped out of the boat, immediately there met him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit. He lived among the tombs. And no one could bind him anymore, not even with a chain, for he had often been bound with shackles and chains, but he wrenched the chains apart, and he broke the shackles in pieces. No one had the strength to subdue him. Night and day among the tombs and on the mountains he was always crying out and cutting himself with stones. And when he saw Jesus from afar, he ran and fell down before him. And crying out with a loud voice, he said, “What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I adjure you by God, do not torment me.” For he was saying to him, “Come out of the man, you unclean spirit!” And Jesus asked him, “What is your name?” He replied, “My name is Legion, for we are many.” And he begged him earnestly not to send them out of the country. Now a great herd of pigs was feeding there on the hillside, and they begged him, saying, “Send us to the pigs; let us enter them.” So he gave them permission. And the unclean spirits came out and entered the pigs; and the herd, numbering about two thousand, rushed down the steep bank into the sea and drowned in the sea.

The herdsmen fled and told it in the city and in the country. And people came to see what it was that had happened. And they came to Jesus and saw the demon-possessed man, the one who had had the legion, sitting there, clothed and in his right mind, and they were afraid. And those who had seen it described to them what had happened to the demon-possessed man and to the pigs. And they began to beg Jesus to depart from their region. As he was getting into the boat, the man who had been possessed with demons begged him that he might be with him. And he did not permit him but said to him, “Go home to your friends and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you.” And he went away and began to proclaim in the Decapolis how much Jesus had done for him, and everyone marveled.

Explanation:

As Jesus stepped out of the boat to minister to more people, He was met by a man who was possessed by evil spirits. The man was isolated, living alone. He would cry out in the night and use stones to cut himself. His behavior was self-destructive, but he was overtaken by evil spirits and had no control over the things happening. His life was being dictated by evil spirits he couldn’t get rid of. The Bible doesn’t tell us how those spirits came upon him, but we know he was being tortured by them. It had to be absolutely devastating for this man. He had to feel completely lost and hopeless. But then Jesus enters the scene, and for a moment, I imagine this man had a little glimmer of hope. After a quick interaction, Jesus cast out the evil spirits and placed them in pigs. The pigs ran to the sea and drowned, taking the evil spirits down with them.

As I am reading this, I feel as though my jaw just dropped open. What a crazy and amazing story. Jesus has power and authority over all things. Jesus is greater than evil spirits. Jesus is greater than any scheme of satan. Jesus is greater.

And in this moment, this man, once bound by evil spirits, is set free. He wants to stay with Jesus, but I love Jesus’s response. He tells the man to go, go and tell others what Jesus has done so they too can believe. When we experience the miracle of Jesus in our lives, just like this man, we are to go and share it with the rest of the world. We are called to proclaim to the world what Jesus has done in our lives. Let us go and declare Jesus to the rest of the world!

Application:

1. What were your first thoughts as you read this story?

2. Have you ever felt like you were at the end of your rope? What was that like for you?

3. What is something in your life right now that you need Jesus to heal, a place where you need Him to do a miracle? I encourage you today to lay that at His feet.

4. What impact has Jesus had on your life? When is the last time you shared your testimony with someone else? What is holding you back?

Prayer Starter:

Wow, God! This story is another amazing reminder to us. A reminder that You are bigger, You are greater, You are stronger than any storm or difficult season we face. You alone have the power to cast out demons, and we know You alone have the power to do miracles in our lives, in our country, in our world. Help us to keep our eyes fixed on Jesus. Remind us that You are with us and will see us through. And when we come out on the other side, may we proclaim Your amazing name to others. May our story lead others to You. In Your mighty name we pray. Amen.

Devo Plus:

Check out Matthew 8:28-34 and Luke 8:26-39 to read other accounts of this story.

Mark 3:1-6 (ESV)

Again he entered the synagogue, and a man was there with a withered hand. And they watched Jesus, to see whether he would heal him on the Sabbath, so that they might accuse him. And he said to the man with the withered hand, “Come here.” And he said to them, “Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do harm, to save life or to kill?” But they were silent. And he looked around at them with anger, grieved at their hardness of heart, and said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He stretched it out, and his hand was restored. The Pharisees went out and immediately held counsel with the Herodians against him, how to destroy him.

Explanation:

In the gospels, Jesus was sometimes seen reading or speaking in the synagogues on different occasions. In this passage, Jesus arrived on the scene finding a disabled man in need of help. I can imagine the man didn’t want to live with his deformity any longer and was seeking a miracle. The Pharisees, however, knowing the sabbath law from Leviticus 23:3, were watching Jesus and wanting to accuse Him of disobeying the Jewish law. The Pharisees did not care about the man with the withered hand; they just wanted Jesus arrested. They saw Jesus as a threat to their way of living because Jesus was often critical of their actions. Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness. These you ought to have done, without neglecting the others (Matthew 23:25).

The Pharisees had little care for the crippled or sick in society; they wanted to be seen and praised by their counterparts. Their only concern was their social status. Jesus used this opportunity as a teaching lesson, and asked them this question, “Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do harm?” The silence of the Pharisees was their answer, and this grieved Jesus. He wanted people who had influence and status to use their God-given abilities to take pity on the less fortunate and help them. To show love, mercy, and compassion for others. The hardness and greed in their hearts had changed them, and they no longer cared about the people they were supposed to serve. The man with the withered hand wanted an encounter with God, and he met God in flesh. Jesus had compassion on the man, despite the Pharisees, and this is how we should show others mercy.

Application:

1. Is there a particular economic, political, social, or ethnic group you have a difficult time having empathy for? Have you ever prayed for them, and asked God to change your heart for this particular group of people?

2. How has God changed your way of thinking for the disabled or neglected people in society?

3. How has being in a relationship with Jesus softened your heart for the homeless? People on government assistance? People from another country?

4. God wants your heart to be like His when you see someone in need. How can you look for opportunities to serve others/show compassion to the people you encounter?

5. We know that Jesus wants us to seek Him at all times. Is there something you are holding on to that you haven’t given Him?

Prayer Starter:

Heavenly Father, help me to have Your heart for people in need. As I walk through this day, help me to see people the way you see them, and show them love and compassion. Give me opportunities to serve my community and my neighbors. Search my heart and change anything that is not of You. I love You, Father!

Devo Plus:

As you read through the questions, which one hit you hard? Now take that question, and ask God to search your heart and help you to have a different perspective today.

Read Matthew 7:12 (referred to as the Golden Rule).

One of my fond memories of childhood was summer vacation Bible School in the Nazarene church. The Sunday after Bible School ended, the kids would put on an extremely low-budget, super-cheesy program for the church. It opened with the kids parading from the back of the sanctuary to the front, playing sticks to the tune of “Onward Christian Soldiers.” If you’re too young to know what sticks are, imagine taking two round dowel rods about the length of a drumstick, covered in colorful and likely lead-based paint, and whacking them together off-beat while marching through church. The program was laced with Bible verses that we recited together (but not really together) and songs that were sung off key. It was at that young age I learned what it meant to lip sync. There were a couple of kids around me who were moving their mouths and no sound was coming out. It frustrated me.

When I think about discipleship in my life, I have to think that God has seen me lip syncing through a big part of my life. I have proclaimed to “be a disciple” for most of my life. I’ve taught Sunday School and Bible School, helped with youth groups and youth activities, and planted myself in a church pew for years. Planted, but never harvested. My discipleship was great when it came to being involved with church-based activities, but lousy outside the doors of the church.

My parents used to travel to Ohio’s Amish Country frequently when I lived at home. We’d go into shops that smelled of wood stain and sold handmade trinkets of all kinds. I remember seeing a sign there that I’ve seen many times since: “Grow where you are planted.” As I reflect on that saying now, I literally was trying to grow on a church pew. Yes, that’s definitely a place to be fed, but was it really promoting my growth? After all, only 1/7 of my week was spent at church.

It took a few years to hit me…I was supposed to be growing where I was planted: at home, in my community, at my job, and as part of the multiple civic groups and social circles I was part of. I was supposed to be making disciples of people outside the church building. People who were not always coming into the doors of the church building—my safe place, but people who needed Jesus outside of the church. I had been lip syncing this whole time.

In recent years, it feels like I’ve done better at singing the words. I’ve tried to take my talents, which include being really extroverted, and put them to use. I’ve worked to be an example to those around me of what it looks like to be a Christian. There are still times I fail miserably. There are still times I lip sync rather than singing the words, but the call to making disciples of others in this world is heavy on my heart, and I will continue to press on.

“Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.” (Matthew 28:19-20a, NIV)

Mark 2:1-12 (ESV)

And again He entered Capernaum after some days, and it was heard that He was in the house. Immediately many gathered together, so that there was no longer room to receive them, not even near the door. And He preached the word to them. Then they came to Him, bringing a paralytic who was carried by four men. And when they could not come near Him because of the crowd, they uncovered the roof where He was. So when they had broken through, they let down the bed on which the paralytic was lying. When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven you. And some of the scribes were sitting there and reasoning in their hearts, “Why does this Man speak blasphemies like this? Who can forgive sins but God alone?” But immediately, when Jesus perceived in His spirit that they reasoned thus within themselves, He said to them, “Why do you reason about these things in your hearts? Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven you,’ or to say, ‘Arise, take up your bed and walk’? But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins”—He said to the paralytic, “I say to you, arise, take up your bed, and go to your house.” Immediately he arose, took up the bed, and went out in the presence of them all, so that all were amazed and glorified God, saying, “We never saw anything like this!”

Explanation:

Imagine what this may have looked like. Jesus has returned from ministering in another town. A group of people gather at the house where He is, and it’s so crowded that even the door is blocked. He starts teaching to the crowd, and four men come carrying a man who was paralyzed and needed healing. They can’t get to Jesus because the crowd is too large. Instead of giving up, they cut open the roof. The typical house of that day had a flat roof, made of mud and branches, but still quite sturdy. These men were so determined to get to Jesus that they cut a hole in the roof of this home! It was such a bold move. They wanted to get to Jesus so badly that they were willing to cause harm to the home. They were determined to get to Jesus so He could help their friend. They carried the man up the ladder and lowered him down through the hole they created.

When Jesus saw the faith of the man and those who brought him, He spoke words of forgiveness to the paralytic. The scribes in the crowd, who did not understand who Jesus was, became critical, but Jesus continued to speak. He asked them to consider what was easier…forgiving someone or healing them. He told the scoffers that on the surface, it’s much easier to say someone’s sins are forgiven because only God can forgive sins. If Jesus simply told the man to get up, He would be shown to have no authority to heal. Since Jesus can do the healing, this was evidence He could also perform the invisible miracle of forgiving sins. Jesus reminded the crowd that He, the Son of Man, had the power to forgive sins and to heal the sick.

The last verse of this scripture ends with “we never saw anything like this!” The man who got up and walked away, sins forgiven, would have a story to tell the world. The works that Jesus had done that day were witnessed by many, who would be commissioned to go and tell others of the wonders of Jesus.

Application:

1. Reflect on the boldness and faith of these men bringing the paralytic to Jesus. Imagine if you were in a situation that required such an act. Would your faith persevere as theirs did?

2. Jesus chose to forgive the man of his sins rather than just healing him from his paralysis. Think about how that man must have felt, knowing that Jesus knew the reason he was paralyzed, and chose first to address his sin.

Prayer Starter:

Ask God to help you grow your faith, strength, and perseverance, so you may be able to make a bold move if that’s what is required of you.

Devo Plus:

Read other scriptures about knowing that Jesus is the Son of Man, with the power to forgive: John 3:16-17, 14:6, Romans 5:8, 6:23; 1 John 4:9

Mark 1:29-39 (ESV)

And immediately he left the synagogue and entered the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John. Now Simon's mother-in-law lay ill with a fever, and immediately they told him about her. And he came and took her by the hand and lifted her up, and the fever left her, and she began to serve them.

That evening at sundown they brought to him all who were sick or oppressed by demons. And the whole city was gathered together at the door. And he healed many who were sick with various diseases, and cast out many demons. And he would not permit the demons to speak, because they knew him.

And rising very early in the morning, while it was still dark, he departed and went out to a desolate place, and there he prayed. And Simon and those who were with him searched for him, and they found him and said to him, “Everyone is looking for you.” And he said to them, “Let us go on to the next towns, that I may preach there also, for that is why I came out.” And he went throughout all Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and casting out demons.

Explanation:

Jesus’s relationship with His Father was a crucial part of what kept Him so level in every area of His life. Jesus was in a constant state of pouring out. Whether it was teaching in the synagogue, healing the sick, waging warfare against evil, training His disciples, or everything else He did throughout His days, we see multiple times in the gospels when Jesus separated Himself. He stepped away from those things that required Him to pour out, and spent time praying with the Father, who could take care of His needs, equip Him, direct Him, and fill Him back up again. These moments of prayer were exactly what Jesus needed to keep Him level and on track toward pursuing what God had in store for Him every day.

If we read that prayer was a necessary practice for Jesus, who is God in human form, would we agree that our lives also require us to spend time with the Father? Our lives may not be as demanding every day as the life of Jesus, to the extent He was pouring out, but that does not make it any less important for us. There are still things we are called by God to do each day. Even simple things like the way we think and the condition of our hearts require the presence of God to supernaturally move so we can, “Go therefore and make disciples…” throughout the days we are given. Let Jesus’s example of how He sought the presence of His Father be an encouragement to you today to spend time in prayer with your Heavenly Father.

Application:

1. Going back to what we read today, what all did Jesus need to accomplish throughout His day?

2. Why was it essential that Jesus be purposed to have these designated prayer times with His Father?

3. Why is it just as important for us to spend time in the presence of our Heavenly Father?

4. What would it look like for you to spend regular time in the presence of God?

Prayer Starter:

God, it is Your presence that I need each and every day. I know Your Son could not properly live without it, and I never want to come to a place where I no longer feel I need it. Holy Spirit, move in my heart and mind when I forget the power of Your presence. Remind me to seek You each and every day.

Devo Plus:

Make a list of all the things you do throughout your day that would benefit from having the supernatural presence of your Heavenly Father.

This week The Tree Church Daily Devotions will be going through another book of the Bible. Today’s devotion will be a brief overview of the book we are reading this week, then, each day that follows will give you one of the main passages or themes found within that book. These books will be shorter and can be read in its entirety in a single sitting or two. I would encourage you to read the entire book on Sunday. It will help with your understanding of each individual passage you will look at over the following six days, but it will also give you a good taste of the different writings in the Bible. If you have any questions as you begin to read and walk through these books, please reach out to me at [email protected]. Pastor Chris

Mark is thought to be one of the first gospels written, sometime in the mid 60’s CE (About 30 years after Jesus’ ministry). Mark has two focus points in his gospel. The first is presenting Jesus as Messiah, the one who has ushered in the kingdom of God. It is vital for Mark that his audience understand Jesus’ identity.

The second focus for Mark is the disciples and the discipleship process with Jesus. In Mark you get the most real look at the disciples’ failures and fumbles as they learn how to follow Jesus. It is an encouragement to those who fumble through trying to figure out how to truly follow Jesus.

Application:

1. Read through the first 10 Chapters of Mark today (if you want to read through the entire book read chapter 11 on Monday, 12 on Tuesday, 13 on Wednesday, 14 on Friday, and 15 and 16 on Saturday).

Prayer Starter:

Father, help us to see you as you are. You inspired the author of Mark to bear witness to the fact that you are both Lord and Messiah. Help us to see that and to choose to follow you. Help us to do so with the humility, courage, and faith that’s needed to see it through. Lord we love you.

Devo Plus:

Make a list of the items that stick out to you as you read today.

Ephesians 6:10-20 (ESV)

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints, and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak.

Explanation:

Paul begins this passage by encouraging us to be strong in the Lord. When we go to Him to empower us, we access strength that is beyond the power any human could imagine. With just a word, God’s power created the entire universe.

Paul asks us to put on the “whole armor of God.” When I think about armor, I immediately envision medieval times, when warriors would envelope their bodies in metal suits, mount horses, and head into a jousting match. Imagine what would happen if one of those warriors only put on a portion of the armor—maybe not covering their head, torso, or chest. They would become vulnerable to the enemy. The enemy would immediately attack that unprotected area. In the same way, we must put on the armor that God has given us, to withstand the evil forces wanting to compromise our relationship with God.

Paul explains each of the elements of our armor. A utility belt of truth is rooted in the truth of Jesus (the way, the truth, and the life). We should put on a breastplate of righteousness. The breastplate was the warrior’s protection from damage to his organs. By protecting ourselves with the breastplate of righteousness, we protect our hearts. Next, we put on a strong pair of boots—ones that won’t hurt our feet during battle, but will give us the traction we need. Those boots represent readiness for encounters with evil, and navigating those encounters with the peace that comes from our salvation. We are instructed to carry a shield to ward off darts that try to find holes in our armor—temptations that come our way. The helmet of salvation protects the head from a disabling blow. When the enemy tries to hit us in the head and cause us to doubt our salvation, the helmet of salvation reminds us that nothing is stronger than the blood of Jesus! Finally, we need a sword…the sword of the Spirit, which is the Bible. God’s Word contains the promises and truths that allow us to battle when the enemy tries to attack.

Once we are armed, Paul reminds us that we should also arm ourselves in prayer. We have the privilege of being able to approach the throne of God with all our needs. We should live in confidence that when we are walking through every situation, decision, and trial, we are connected to God’s love and can look to Him to help us. We are to pray for others who are struggling and going through battles, and to have courage in our convictions.

Application:

1. As you review the list of items in our armor, is there one you want to focus on this week?

2. What situations this week do you need to be more cognizant of arming yourself in the way Paul has instructed us?

Prayer Starter:

Ask God to help you remember to arm yourself the way He has instructed as you walk through your various interactions this week. Ask Him for help in your daily decisions, and pray for others to do the same.

Devo Plus:

Read more about some of the elements of the armor in the following scriptures:

Truth: John 14:6, John 8:31-32

Righteousness and Helmet: Isaiah 59:17

Preparation of the good news of peace: Isaiah 52:7

Sword: 2 Timothy 3:16-17